69th annual National Merit Awards

National Merit Scholars Graphic

Twenty-Two HCS Students Named National Merit Semifinalists

  • September 13, 2023

    The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of 22 Horry County Schools students as Semifinalists in the 69th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These HCS students are among approximately 16,000 Semifinalists who have an opportunity to compete for 7,250 National Merit Scholarships.
    HCS National Merit Semifinalists are:

    • Isabella Markunas, the Academy for the Arts, Science & Technology and Carolina Forest High School
    • Nicholas Orlando, the Academy for the Arts, Science & Technology and Conway High School
    • Dylan Foster, the Academy for the Arts, Science & Technology and Myrtle Beach High School
    • Dakota Beasley, the Academy for the Arts, Science & Technology and North Myrtle Beach High School
    • Shantanu Chakraborty and Alexa Halling, Carolina Forest High School
    • Christian Benz, Isabella Benz, Joe Bornfreund, Oliver Carter, Jason Dong, Adam Ettouil, Morgan Freiler, Aidan Hayes, Emilio Mendoza, Jacob Mijalli, Alli Satterfield, Brea Stone, Trent Toole, Makaila Tucker, and Andy Xu, HCS Scholars Academy High School
    • Jason Costanzo, St. James High School

    • About 95 percent of the Semifinalists typically go on to attain Finalist standing, and about half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. High school juniors across the country entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

      To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and his or her high school must submit a detailed scholarship application. They provide information about the Semifinalist's academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student's earlier performance on the qualifying test.

      From the approximately 16,000 Semifinalists, about 15,000 typically advance to the Finalist level. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. Merit Scholar designees are selected based on their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, regardless of gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.

      Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2024. Every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships awarded on a state-representational basis. About 950 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by as many as 180 corporations and business organizations for Finalists who meet their specified criteria. In addition, about 160 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 3,800 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who will attend the sponsor institution. 

      National Merit Scholarship winners of 2024 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July.